FILM | Reviews
NOIR INHERENT VICE (TBC) 148min ●●●●●
BIOPIC / WAR TESTAMENT OF YOUTH (12A) 130min ●●●●● BIOPIC / ADVENTURE WILD (15) 115min ●●●●●
Paul Thomas Anderson goes all warm and fuzzy with a film that follows a perma-stoned private eye on a befuddling quest. Like the Thomas Pynchon novel on which it’s based, this is an anti-thriller, a loose, lunatic, sun-scorched LA noir. Part paranoid pulp, part farce, it channels anti-establishment discontentment through a goofball lead: the mutton- chopped, shaggy-haired hippy Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix).
It’s 1970 and Doc is on the trail of a land developer (Eric Roberts), the current squeeze of his ‘ex-ol' lady’ (Katherine Waterston). Along the way, he falls foul of a shadowy organisation and teams up with his hippy-hating cop nemesis (Josh Brolin).
The convoluted plot is merely the mechanism through which Anderson introduces a cast of assorted nuts. Phoenix is adorable, boasting impeccable comic timing, and Brolin makes a brilliantly po-faced foil. With lines like ‘he perished in a trampoline accident’ and ‘it’s not groovy to be insane’, the script is pure Pynchon. Inherent Vice moves at a pothead’s pace and trades revelations for anticlimaxes. However, tune into its wavelength and you’ll dig it just fine. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 30 Jan.
Vera Brittain’s gut-wrenchingly poignant WWI memoir Testament of Youth remains a moving tribute to the innocence of a generation that entered into a war believing it to be noble or, at least, short and conclusive. The debut feature of TV director James Kent retells a family’s tragedy with popular young performers, a keen camera and sumptuous cinematography. We know this story well, but it is to Kent’s credit that we hope for a different ending. Testament of Youth pivots on the Brittain family. Alicia Vikander is a wilful, intelligent Vera who sees her brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and love interest Roland (Kit Harington) drawn into the war. She follows, giving up a hard-won place at university, in order to work as a nurse. Vera treats Germans and tends to horrific injuries. We admire her poise and wait for the dreaded telegrams.
Innovative filmmaking this isn’t, but it is consistent,
sparing and respectful. Vikander’s contained emotions are the antithesis to today’s melodrama, and the pain of loss is laid out with the restraint expected of its period. Testament of Youth is tasteful and lyrical, but still packs a punch. (Karen Krizanovich) ■ General release from Fri 16 Jan.
Having steered Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto to Oscar glory with Dallas Buyers Club, director Jean-Marc Vallée could be on course to repeat the trick for Reese Witherspoon with Wild, adapted from the memoir by Cheryl Strayed.
In 1995, more or less on a whim, the 26-year-old Strayed (Witherspoon) sets off on an 1100-mile hike across part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Almost comically underprepared, she endures numerous setbacks. The film’s jagged flashback structure reveals what brought her here, specifically the heartbreaking loss of her mother (Laura Dern) and a subsequent spiral into drug addiction and divorce.
Witherspoon has made some poor choices
since her Oscar win for Walk the Line, so her gutsy performance amounts to something of a comeback; she strikes a riveting balance as she shows us this damaged soul’s vulnerability, as well as reserves of strength. Vallée’s direction is assured and Nick Hornby’s script captures the almost hallucinatory feel of the flashbacks. This is a powerful portrayal of a woman’s physical and emotional journey that serves as a perfect companion piece to the likes of Into the Wild and Tracks. (Matthew Turner) ■ General release from Fri 16 Jan.
FANTASY THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (12A) 144min ●●●●●
Following on directly from The Desolation of Smaug, Peter Jackson kicks straight into the action with the final instalment of the Hobbit trilogy. This sad farewell to the dwarves, wizards, elves and other inhabitants of Middle-earth provides grand spectacle and gets off to a cracking start; we rejoin our heroes as they madly flee Smaug, the fire-breathing dragon. The dwarves have set up camp at the Lonely Mountain but
Thorin (Richard Armitage) has been consumed with greed, otherwise known as dragon-sickness, and is drunk on power. His descent into madness and search for the Arkenstone has terrible repercussions and marks the start of a great war, which sees different factions rallying together to overcome one evil. Jackson focuses on the casualties, price and aftermath of war in keeping with the novel’s themes. However, the added narratives of Legolas (Orlando Bloom, whose glowing CGI face is plain scary) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) are overkill, and come at the expense of time with our protagonist Bilbo (Martin Freeman). We’re also presented with the ongoing struggle between bravery and cowardice via Bard (Luke Evans, turning in a terrific performance) and Alfrid (Ryan Gage), scenes that attempt comic comment but come off as rather too slight. The middle section flags due to the relentless padding, yet the film features standout moments of spirited action and its most exhilarating battles bring to mind the greatness of the Lord of the Rings trio. Enormous earthworms, terrifying orcs and a red-haired Billy Connolly slug it out, and the attention to detail is impressive. Nevertheless, the finale – and indeed the entire Hobbit trilogy – still pales in comparison with Jackson’s previous Middle-earth adventures. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 12 Dec.
80 THE LIST 11 Dec 2014–5 Feb 2015